Laura's Loves
by fezwearingjellybananas
Summary: Before Clint, there was Clara


Laura skimmed the stone across the pond, waited for Jean to finish class.

"Hi."

The woman was leaning against a tree, smiling.

"Hi."

"You know, if you hold it like this-" She reached out and Laura let her take hold of her hand, adjusting it. "-and flick, it goes much further."

"How did you do that?"

"A lot of weekends at Blackpool beach. I'm Clara."

"Laura."

"Nice to meet you, Laura."

"Likewise."

"What are you studying?"

"Medicine."

"Brilliant. There's rarely cases of too many doctors."

"What about you?"

"I'm just passing though. I did English, then my QTS, so not quite as long as medicine."

"Laura!"

"I think that's your friend."

"Yeah." Laura turned to wave at Jean. "You know, if-"

She turned back and Clara had vanished.

A strange noise came from not too far away, but Laura didn't have time to dwell on it before Jean reached her.

"Sorry about that, you know how Professor McCoy gets when he gets going."

"It's fine. Ready to grab some lunch?"

"Sure. Who were you talking to?"

"You know, I'm not entirely sure."

* * *

"How's the doctorate going?"

"I know you."

"Clara? We met the other day by a pond, you were skimming stones?"

"That was three years ago."

"Really? Time flies. How's it been?"

"Good. Passed my exams, always a good start."

"Guess you're looking for a job then."

"I'm at a local clinic, been there a few months. It's good."

"Good. That's good. Can I take you for coffee?"

"Pardon?"

"Or tea. I quite like tea."

"You mean like a date?"

"Unless, well, but you know. Won't know if you don't ask."

"No, that's… You're asking me on a date?"

"Maybe?"

"Okay. Sure."

"Great."

"You're not going to disappear on me again, are you?"

"No. No. So, um…"

"I finish at five."

"Five's good. Five's great. I'll see you at five."

"Here?"

"Here sounds good. Yeah. Here at five. See you then."

"See you then."

* * *

"I had fun."

"So did I. More… more fun than I've had in a long time."

"We could do this again some time?"

"Yes. I mean, if you wanted."

"I'll call you."

"Right. Phone number, I need to give you my phone number. I've got a bit of paper in here, hang on."

* * *

"What do you do, Clara?"

"I travel."

"Alone?"

"I had a friend, for a long time, but he, um, it's a long story. And I have another friend. She sticks around."

"You've been here for so long though."

"I fit it in."

"Here, this is for you."

"A key."

"To my apartment. You spend enough nights here anyway."

"Thank you."

Clara's lips brushed against Laura's forehead as she took it, attaching it to a keyring with two other keys.

She smiled.

"I'll keep it safe."

* * *

Laura yawned, Clara's arm wrapped around her.

She rolled onto her side, smiling at how peaceful she looked.

Her chest wasn't moving.

Laura bent her head over Clara's listening and trying to feel her breath, but nothing.

She grabbed her wrist, trying to find a pulse, and grabbed the stethoscope from her bag.

Nothing.

"No."

Laura scrambled to her feet, rubbing her hands and positioning them over Clara's heart.

She pressed down, giving the first chest compression, and Clara spluttered, almost bending double.

"Blimey, that's a way to wake up. Laura? What's wrong?"

"You weren't breathing. You… You didn't have a pulse. Clara, I thought you were dead."

"Hey." Clara ran a hand of her cheek, pressing their foreheads together. "It's all right, I'm fine. I'm fine."

"You didn't…"

"Listen to my heart, Laura. Listen."

She pressed the stethoscope to Clara's chest, frowning, moving it around.

"I can't find it."

"I'm frozen."

"Frozen?"

"I'm alive. But I'm trapped in the last second of my life. Thing about a time machine, a second can last an eternity."

"I don't understand."

"Come with me."

"I've got work."

"It's fine. You won't the late. I promise."

"Okay."

* * *

"It's…"

"A TARDIS. Alien tech."

"Bigger on the inside."

"Yeah. Me, this is Laura. Laura this is Me, she's my companion."

"Your…"

"Travelling companion. Hello. Clara's told me a lot about you."

"How old are you?"

"You know I have no idea. I was born in approximately 700AD? But Clara and the Doctor picked me up in the dying moments of the universe."

"You're billions of years old."

"Yes, I suppose I am. I'm immortal you see, my body repairs itself, but it repairs aging which means I don't."

"Right. Neither of you can die. And you have a diner that's bigger on the inside."

"It's not just a diner," Clara said. She flipped a lever, smiling. "Watch this."

The room shook, Clara darting round the central controls, until they stabilised.

She threw open the door and Laura looked down at planet Earth, hovering in space. She covered her mouth.

"You're…"

"Human. Let me explain. I had a friend. His name is the Doctor."

* * *

"You know," Laura said, hand in hand with Clara, outside her door, "I've got the weekend off."

"Time machine, you don't need time off."

"Or we could stay on Earth. Which I do need it off for."

"Whatever makes you happy."

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"It has. Do you ever think about it, Laura?"

"Think about what?"

"You're mortal. You're so very human, and human lives end."

"You run around saving the universe, I don't know if you'll come back."

"I'm effectively immortal."

"But you're not. You die. You have to one day, for the universe. If something goes wrong Me will take you back to Gallifrey and they'll put you back in your time stream. No one lives forever, Clara. The important thing is here and now."

"I could outlive you by thousands of years."

"Or I could outlive you."

"I don't age, Laura. You'll grow old. I won't. I can't grow old with you."

"I don't care, Clara. I love you. You can stay with me."

"I love you too."

Clara kissed her.

Laura unlocked it, showing her in.

* * *

The bed was empty when she woke up.

"Clara?"

"I'm here. I've got breakfast."

"In bed? You're spoiling me."

"It's your weekend. I've got a surprise for you."

* * *

They had dinner in a restaurant, before walking home.

The man almost walked straight into them.

"I am so sorry."

"Clint?"

"Clara?"

"Blimey, it's been years, Clint."

"Yeah. Yeah, it's been a while. What are you doing here?"

"Relax, there's no aliens. This is Laura."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"So you're Clara's…"

"Girlfriend."

"Oh. That's nice. Well, it was lovely seeing you again, I'll keep an eye out for that spaceship of yours."

"Me's almost got the Chameleon Circuit working. It manages a few hours."

"They don't call me Hawkeye for nothing. See you around, Clara. Nice meeting you, Laura."

"And you."

He walked off.

"How do you know him?"

"Long story involving aliens and government organisations."

"And you just happened to run into him."

"Coincidences happen."

"If you say so."

* * *

"I can't do this, I-"

"Clara?"

"Laura."

"What are you doing, it's the middle of the night."

"I-"

"Are you leaving?"

"Laura, I'm sorry."

"You are. And you were going to leave me a note instead of telling me."

"I can't do this. I'll break your heart."

"Or I'll break yours."

"I can't give you anything. Family, someone to grow old with, I can't-"

"You gave me adventure. Showed me things I couldn't even dream of. Gave me the universe. And I understand. I can't stay with you forever. And it hurts. But it hurts less to end on a high than to watch me grow old knowing you won't."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. If you love someone, let them go, isn't that how the saying goes? I don't want to break your heart, Clara. I don't want you watching me have something you won't. You have an eternity but you don't have this."

"I love you."

"I love you too. Here."

"Laura, I-"

"My sister gave it to me. Keep it."

"I can't take that."

"Clara. I want you to. It'll suit you more anyway."

"I won't forget you."

"I should hope not." Laura kissed her. "The universe needs you, Clara Oswald. Go save it for me."

* * *

"Um. Hi. Clara called me. She said you might need company."

Laura looked up at him.

"Clint? We met once, few months ago?"

"I remember."

"She left, didn't she."

"Yeah. It's better this way."

"Doesn't feel like it though, does it?"

"No."

"I brought these."

"Roses?"

"Clara asked me to pick them up. And she said you liked pizza?"

"Yeah."

"She didn't say which one though so I, um, bought a lot."

Laura gave a small laugh.

"Do you want to come in?"

"Okay."

* * *

"It's been eight months. I think I'm ready to go out on a date, Clint."

"Yeah, but he's…"

"Do you want to finish that sentence?"

"I preferred his friend."

"It's one cup of coffee. He's a friend of Jean's, how bad can it go?"

* * *

"So?"

"I hate to say it."

"I was right."

"He's not that bad. We just didn't… click."

"I can-"

"No."

"Fine. Pizza?"

"Pizza."

* * *

"I need a plus one."

"For what?"

"Jean's wedding, I need a plus one."

"She's getting married?"

"Yes, to Scott, keep up, I need to find a date."

"I thought you had a date? That girl from the other night?"

"Didn't work out."

"Oh. I'll go."

"What?"

"You need a plus one, there's only one of me."

"You'd do that?"

"Long as no one's shooting at me, sure."

* * *

Laura fell onto him, laughing.

"I would have married Clara, you know."

"I know, Lau."

"I loved her."

"Past tense?"

"I'm happy. Happy it ended like this instead of her watching me…"

"I know."

"What about you, Clint?"

"What about me?"

"Is there anyone you'd spend the rest of your life with?"

"Probably you."

"Me?"

"You know. I was supposed to be emotional support for one night and I've ended up stuck with you. I don't think I could get rid of you if I tried. Don't really want to try."

"That's sweet. Can I kiss you, Clint?"

"Erm. Okay?"

* * *

He was still there in the morning, asleep on her sofa.

"So."

"So."

"Do we talk about that?"

"Do you want to?"

"Well, you're really good at kissing."

"So are you."

"Practice. No, that sounds bad, I mean like…"

"I know what you do for a living, Clint, I know exactly what you mean."

"There's no guarantee I'll come home."

"I know."

"You've had your heart broken once."

"So come home. Don't be being all noble now, it's like I told Clara a long time ago. The important thing is here and now."

"So, um, I could kiss you again?"

"I think I'd like that."

* * *

"My job is dangerous."

"I know."

"I need to keep you safe."

"What are you saying?"

"You remember Nick?"

"Your boss, yes."

"He's willing to help me set up a safe house. Wherever you want. Normally they're off grid, so I don't know if a city would work, or…"

"Clint."

"If I'm going to marry you I need to know you are safe."

"What did you say?"

"I need to know you're safe?"

"Before that."

"Nick's willing to help set up a safe house?"

"Clint."

"I was going to let you settle in first."

"Marry?"

"Only if you want. And we can find a way for you to stay in touch with your friends. Maybe find somewhere with a small doctor's surgery, you love your job and you're great at it. Maybe a farm, we could have dogs."

"And kids."

"Pardon?"

"I always imagined three kids. A farm would be good for them. Space to run around."

"Kids. With me?"

"I hope so, seeing as you seem to want to be my husband."

"Kids. Mr and Mrs Barton and their three kids and fifteen dogs."

"Fifteen dogs."

"All right, two."

"Two."

"Where did you have in mind?"

* * *

"Excuse me."

"Honey, you all right?"

"Fine. I'm fine, I'm better than fine. There's just something I've got to do."

Clint looked over to the bushes.

"All right. I'll wait here."

Laura walked over, lifting her wedding dress off the ground.

"Hello again."

"Hello."

"I didn't think you'd ever come back."

"Neither did I. Who exactly…"

"Clint. So it's all your fault, really."

"That's good. He's a good man."

"And you're a good woman. You're wearing the necklace."

"I am. The person who gave it to me meant a lot to me."

"How long has it been?"

"Couple of hundred years. There's been a few."

"That's good. I wouldn't want you to be alone."

"This is for you. Wedding gift."

"Thank you."

Laura opened the small box.

A key was sitting there.

"Is this…"

"To my TARDIS. If you ever need it. Or any of your descendants, if you have any."

"Here. We moved, you'll need another key. In case you ever need it."

"Thank you."

"This is the last time I'm ever going to see you, isn't it?"

"No. Maybe. I don't know. It depends how life goes, I suppose."

"It was wonderful to see you again, Clara."

"And you, Laura. You've got a husband waiting for you."

"Good luck."

Laura kissed her cheek before heading back in.

"Can you put this in your pocket?"

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes."

"How is she?"

"She's okay."

"That's good."

"Shall we dance, Clint?"

"Dance?"

"Well there's music and several others are dancing. Shall we join in?"

"I'd love to." He twirled her round, smiling. "I love you."

"I love you too."

* * *

 **Inspired by a comment by agentmarymargaretskitz, and several conversations about shipping Clara with everyone ever (she has many ficlets over on Tumblr, I recommend them all)**


End file.
